Braiding machine



NOV- 20, 1934 E. K. sTANDlsH ,BRAIDING MACHINE Filed June 27, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENToR Flexi.

Nov. 270, 1934. E K 5TAND|$H 1,981,377

BRAIDING MACHINE Filed June 27, 1954 2 sheets-Sheet v2 Patented Nov. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

7 Claims.

The invention relates to an improved method of driving the yarn supply carriers in a braiding machine and is especially adapted to the rotary or circular orbit type of braider where the yarn from one set of supplies is passed either inside or outside of the yarn packages of a second set of supplies as required to braid, or where both sets of supplies rotate in opposite directions about a common center.

More specifically, the combination `disclosed herewith accomplishes the lpassage oi the yarn inside the carriers and the continuous driving of each carrier by a construction operating at a lower speed and with less gearing and parts than any heretofore disclosed.

Specifically, there is shown a new and improved rotary disc or plate drive requiring only one-sixth oi a revolution of the plates to permit the yarn to' pass inside each carrier while maintaining a continuous driving connection ior rotating said carrier, and the use of substantially triangular shaped plates each having three projecting portions adapted to alternately make and break contact with a carrier; also, the location oi said plates in a position where each plate of a connected pair has contact with a separate yarn carrier, thus permitting the locating, and connecting, of a spiral pinion between said .pair of plates and of suicient diameter to mesh directly with a single large spiral drive gear, thus eliminating all intermediate gearing, extra shafts, and bearings, and rcheapening construction.

The improved design or" the plates or discs having three contacting projections leave ample 1 clearance for the thread passage together with `a relatively slow speed of rotation, while discs having more than three projections do not provide suicient clearance unless their diameter is undesirably large.

Also, by having each plate of a connected pair Contact with a separate carrier, and by an angular adjustment of these plates, greater spacing can be had and greater clearance for the yarn secured with smaller diameter plates, by increasing the length or time of Contact with the carrier.

Tile invention as specifically shown is hereinafter described with lreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectioned elevation on line 1-1-1, Fig. 3.

Figure 2 shows the relative position of a pair of triangular plates.

Figure 3 shows a plan of the drive mechanism for the individual carriers.

Figure 4 shows an enlarged plan view and a (c1. rsas- 5) means for adjusting the angular position and the spacing between plates.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings, and the normal-direction of rotation is shown by arrows.

T-he machine, as speciiically disclosed in Fig. 1, .i ,Y

has a base 1 having a central hub 2 to which is attached a hollow `post 3. Y v

A pulley 4 drives a clutch 5 attached to a shaft 6 which may be engaged with a brake drum 7.

A bevel pinion 8 on the inner end of the shaft 5 meshes with gears 9 and 10 and drive them in opposite directions.

The gear 9 drives a suitable carrier 11 on which are mounted the outer supply packages 35.

The outer carrier 11 has arms 12 attached to or a part of the upwardly extending hub 13 which extends outward at its upper end and carries the raceway 14 for the inner carriers.

Athin metal casing 36 on the carrier 11 protects the oil and gears in the base 1 from dirt.

The gear l0, through an upwardly extended Y hub 15 drives the outwardly extended member '16 carrying lsuitable bearings or brackets 43, Fig. 4. f

In the construction shown these brackets' 43 support shafts or studs-20 on which are mounted the driving plates or discs which make and break contact with the individual carriers 25.

Attached to the upperl end of the hollow post 3, Fig. 1, is a stationary member 17 carryingfon its outer vperiphery a spiral gear 18 adapted to mesh directly with all of the spiral pinions 24, Figs. 1--3-4.

The carriers 25, slidably held on the raceway 14 by members 26, carry plates 27 on which are mounted the inner or upper supply packages 29.

Arecess is formed between the carriers 25 and the plates 27 in which are stationary cam shaped Ayarn guide plates 19 adapted to force the yarn 31a-B2 to pass outside the inner supply packages. i

The yarn 31-32 is-carried on'its outer end by suitable yarn guides 34 supported by rods 33 attached to the raceway member 14 and extends inward to the braiding point 30 through suitable guides 37.

In the construction shown in detail in Fig. 4, the disc or plate 22 is rotated into and out of contact with a slot in the forward end of one carrier 25 while the disc or plate 21 alternately makes and breaks contact with a slot in the rear end of the preceding carrier.

As shown, the plate 22 and. the spiral pinion 24 are of one piece and an enlarged hub 39 extends beyond the pinion. The inside of this hub 39 has threads 38 fitting the hub of the plate 21 which is locked to it by any suitable means, as the screw 40, so that both plates and the pinion 24 rotate as a unit on the shaft 20.

The space between the Aplates 21 and 22 can thus be altered to compensate for slight variations in manufacture and assembly of a set of carriers and the thickness of the thrust washers 44valso changed as required to prevent end movement between the bearings 43.

By thus locating the driving plates so that each plate of a connected pair contacts with a separate carrier the diameter of the spiral pinion 24 may be suilicient to reach and mesh with the spiral gear 18, which has to clear the plates 21 and 22, and still allow ample clearance for the yarn 31-32 as clearly shown by the'dotted lines 41, Fig. 4, and also on the left hand side of Fig. 1, where the yarn 32 hangs straight between the yarn guide 34 and the braiding point 30, and has ample clearance of the spiral pinion 24.

' f `AWherer the slot 28, Fig 2, in the carrier 25 is of suflicient length the plate 21 may be set relative to the plate 22 as shown by the dotted triangle 23. This would permit the spacing between the plates 21 and 22, Fig. 4, to be somewhat increased thus allowing these plates to be larger in diameterl Without contacting the spiral gear 18, and thus increase the possible thread clearance between the plates andA carrier.

vits clearly shown in Fig. 2, only one-sixth of a revolution of the plates 21-22 will be necessary to allow passage of the yarn 31-32 inside an inner rcarrier while maintaining driving contact with the carrier at all times.

vObviously the essential features of this drive can be obtained in various forms without departing from the scope of the invention, therefore without limiting myself tothe precise construction shown what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following:-l y f 1. In a braiding machine having individual package carriers, driving means therefor essentially comprising a plurality of carrier engaging members arranged in pairs to rotate about 'a common axis, each of said members having three carrier engaging sections separated by openings, said pairs of members being angularly disposed Wth respect to each other so as to successively contact a carrier and allow a thread to pass Athere-between. y

2. In a braiding machine having individual package carriers, continuous driving means therefor essentially comprising a plurality of rotating plates arranged about the center of said braider and having their axes substantially at right angles thereto, each plate being adapted to alternately make and break contact with a package carrier three times per revolution, said plates being alternately angularly disposed with respect to each other whereby passage of a thread may be secured inside said carrier by rotating said plates one-sixth of a revolution.

A3. In a braiding machine having individual package carriers, continuous driving means for each of said carriers essentially comprising. a plurality of triangular shaped rotating members each adapted to alternately make and break contact with a carrier, said triangular shaped members being alternately angularly disposedwith respect to each other about the center of said machine. y

4. In a braiding machine having individual package carriers, driving means therefor essentially comprising a plurality of carrier engaging members connected together in pairs and located between said carriers where each engaging member of a pair has contact with a separate carrier, and spiral gear teeth located between said engaging members and connected to rotate both members simultaneously by contact with a spiral gear.

5. In a braiding machine having individual vpackage carriers, driving means therefor essentially comprising a plurality of carrier engaging members arranged in pairs to rotate about a common axis and located in a position where each engaging member of a pair has contact with a separate carrier, a spiral pinion located between each pair of engaging members on said common axis, and asingle spiral gear meshing directly with all the spiral pinions to cause the simultaneous rotation of allof the carrier engaging members into or out of contact with their respective carriers.

6. In a braiding machine having individual package carriers, driving means therefor essentially comprising a plurality of carrier engaging members arranged in pairs and connected to rotate as a unit about a common axis, a plurality of spiral pinions each located between said pair of engaging members and connected therewith,

and a single spiral gear adapted to mesh directly with all of said spiral pinions to cause the simultaneous rotation of all the engaging members as the braider is rotated.

7. In a braiding machine having individual package carriers, driving means therefor, comprising a plurality of carrier engaging members arranged in pairs, each of said members having three carrier engaging sections separated by openings, said pair of members being angularly disposed with respect to each other so as to' successively contact a carrier and allow a thread to pass there-between, a spiral pinion for each pair of carrier engaging members and a single spiral gear adapted to mesh directly with all of said spiral Vpinions to cause the'simultaneous rotation ofV all the engaging members as the braider is rotated.

EDWARD K. STANDISH. 

